Starting device for internal-combustion engines.



F. MORGAN. STARTING DEV-ICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1913.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

if? I a supply of fluid under compression, means controlling the flow of fluid from the reser- -.subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain,

struction. the various cylinders is indicated by dotted FRANK MORGAN, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

' 3i FFT@,

STARTING, DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

Application filed March 29, 1913. Serial No. 757,491.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F RANK Monoan, a

residing at Melrose, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Starting Devices for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein. to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates ,to starting devices for internal combustion engines in which a. compressed fluid is utilized as the operating medium. 1 l

The principal object of the invention is to provide a startingiapparatus'efficient and simple in construction and operation and of low cost as to both initial and operating expense.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a starting device of ti e foregoing character which is entirely se f contained and which requires no extraneous supply of motive power.

Other objects of the invention will" be more specifically pointed out and described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a starting device constructed and operated in accordance with my invention as applied to a four cylinder engine; Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view of a .pump provided for compressing the actuating fluid and a valve mechanism for controlling the flow of the compressed fluid to the various cylinders of the engine and Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the said valve on line 3'3 in Fig. 2 looking from right to left.

Briefly, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a reservoir containing voir to the cylinders of theengine and means operated by the engine for maintain ing the pressure in the reservoir.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 4, 5, 6 and 7 designate the cylinders of a four cylinder internal combustion engine, 8 a main shaft, 9 a crank case, and '10 a fly wheel mounted on the main shaft, all of which parts are of old and well known con- The position of the pistons in lines.-

A reservoir 12 of suitable form and construction is provided for holding a supply of compressed liquid, preferably air, which reservoir is connected to a pump 14 by a pipe 15 and to the cylinders of the engine by a pipe 16 leading to a rotary valve 17 and thence by pipes 18, 19, 20 and 21 to cylinders 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively. The pump provides and maintains the pressure in the reservoir which flows into the latter from the former through the pipe 15 and the compressed fluid in the reservoir flows outwardly through the pipe 16. to the valve 17 whence it is directed 'to the cylinders in proper sequence.

The pump and valve are operated by-the engine and to secure this result I preferably employ -theconstruction shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 2 especially. .The pump comprises a casing 23 having an integral cylinder 24 within which is a piston 25 connected by a piston-rod 26 to a crank shaft 27 mounted in journal bearings 28 and 29 which are part of the casing. Upon the outer end of the shaft 27 is secured a gear wheel 30 which meshes with a gear wheel '31 mounted on the main shaft 8 of the engine. The compression end of the pump cylinder may be provided with suitable valves 33 and 34, the former being an inlet valve to admit air to thecylinder when the 'pump piston is on its suction stroke and the latter being an outlet valve to permit the air under compression to How from the cylinder to the reservoir when the pressure in the cylinder exceeds that in the reservoir. Any suitable form of valve may be employed in this connection, that shown comprising a ball 35, held in a seated position to close the valve by a spring 36. The cylinder of the pump may be provided with suitable cooling fins 37. i

The valve 17 is preferably constructed as follows: At the end of the crank shaft 27 opposite the gear wheel the end is extended and hollowed out to form a chamber 38 which is provided with a port 39. The bearing 29, which constitutes the valve casing, is provided" with lateral extensions 40, screw threaded to receive the ends of the pipes 18, 19, 20 and 21 leading to the various cylinders of the engine and each extension 40 is provided with a passage 41 so that when the crank shaft 27 rotates'the port 39 registers with the passages 41 in sequence. The

end of the bearing 29 is providedwith a I To control the is at rest with the valve 43 closed. To

. start the engine the valve 43 is opened which permits the compressed flui'd' to flow from the reservoir through the pipe '16 into the; valve 17 through the port 39 and 'into' one of the pipes to the proper cylinder. 'In' order 20 that the compressed fluid may at all times be introduced through thepvalve 17 into the ,propercylinder, the gear'wheels and 31 are made of such size that the wheel 30.

' makes one revolution while the'main shaft 25 makes two, thereby permitting'the airto beintroduced atithe proper time in the operation of a four cycle engine. This result is secured by proper adjustments'which may be made by-"any one skilled in the art;

sOLWhen the compressed fluid is introduced into the proper cylinder it causes the piston to be moved downwardly and the-engine to be started thereby revolving the main shaft; As this shaft revolves it turns the crank 3 5 shaft 27 and when the latter has been turned a quarter revolution the port 39 then registerswith another pipejdeading to another cylinder and the'compressed fluid is allowed to flow into thenext cylinder. This opera 40 tion is continued and theiconipressed fluid is introduced into one cylinder after the other until the engine has been fully started, when the valve 43 may be closed and the engine then operated in theusual manner 45 by=ignition means; a Preferably the pump is operated only when the pressure in the tank falls below a certain mimimum and to accomplish this re salt the gear wheel 30 is loosely mounted so on the crank-shaft 27 and is provided with any suitable form of clutch'so that it may be thrown into engagement with a collar 46 "secured on the crankshaft 27 and thereby rotate thesame. The form of clutch shown in the drawings consists of a pin 47 fixed on. the 'hub' of the gear wheel 30 which is adapted to engage a corresponding recess 48 on the collar 46.v

The opposite side of the I hub of the gear wheel 30 is provided Withan extension 4!) having a clrcumferential groove 50 and this groove may be engaged by a lever, not shown, wmcn may oe.oper-' ated from a distance in the well known man ner used in operating clutches. The gear 31 is'of such thickness that the gear wheel 3Q, meshes with it whether it is running w ld or not. Whenever the-pressure in'the reservoir falls below the minimum, the

clutch may be operated whereby: the gear a wheel'30 Will turn the crank-shaft 27 and operate the pump, thereby increasing the pressure. in the reservoir. This arrangement saves wear .on the pump and the valve.

To prevent unusual pressure being generated,therein,"a.safety valve 45 may be arranged on the reservoir to permit the excess pressure to blow ofi. v s

' It will be noticedthat. my device is of extreme simplicity and that it is entirely,

'self contained; that it requires no electrical or other@ extraneous power to operate it and that itis so constructed that it cannot get out of order or become in'operative- My invention may be applied to internal I combustion engines having a reater or a less number-of cylinders, than our by mak- .ing slight, constructional changes, which will be apparent to any one skilled in the art, from the foregoing description;

Althoughv I] have shown and described herein thepreferred embodiment of my invention, various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement, ofthe same without departing from my invention and I desire to claim the same broadly except. 'where specifically limited in the following claim;

WhatI claim is:-' A starting device for internal combustion engines; having, in combination, a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine, a reservoir for compressed fluid, a pump for compressingthe fluid and havin ings, ports-in one of said connecting the portsjand the cylinders of the engine respectively, 'a chamber. hollowed into one end of the crank-shaft of saidpump, a port in the crank-shaft leading into the chamber and adapted to register successively with the ports in the pumpbearing so as thereby to supply the compressed fluid to the cylinders of the engine respectively. I

journal bearv bearings, pipes Intestimony whereof, Ihereunto set my F. J; V.'D.\KIN, E. F. UNI'AQ,

Copies of this-patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

presence rt two subscribing witnesses, this the twenty fifth day of' 

